Tinnitus with Ear Itch Followed by Itch on Lower Lip/Chin

[Ben Winders]

Hi all,

I've had tinnitus since end of April this year due to acoustic trauma (loud earbud incident).

First month was hell with a very low pitch stationary engine rumbling noise in one ear (right).
That has now shifted into electric buzz that sometimes spikes into louder "screeching".

Covering up that bad ear with an earplug and then driving a car for example, or going to the movies results in the tinnitus ramping up in volume... as if it is doing its best to be louder than the car engine/movie.

One thing I have noticed that I frequently feel something "physical" happening in my ear. Hard to describe - it's somewhere between 'itching' and pressure changes - as if something physical is touching my inner ear - but very mildly (not like ear popping like in an airplane or temporary hearing loss like with fleeting tinnitus).

The interesting part (the part I wonder about) - when that happens, I almost always also get a 'tingly'/'itchy' feeling on my lower lip/chin... always at exact the same location... I reckon it's a nerve - always the same nerve - that 'tingles'.

I wonder if anyone has experience with this clear correlation / combination?

History: had multiple ENTs look at the issue in 2 different countries, had MRI scan, 3 audiograms - all came back negative (slight 15 dB hearing loss at 4000 Hz).

 

[Orions Pain]

I have something relatively similar. My audiogram is pretty good across the board (around 5 dB on all frequencies) and then I have a 15 dB dip on one specific frequency, 3 kHz.

One of my ears regularly had the sensation you describe, but mine was more of a tickle. This eventually morphed into nerve pain on my face which manifests as a cold burning sensation on my forehead and a crawly sensation down the side of my face on my "bad ear" side.

My tinnitus always worsens with ear plug use. I understand that ambient noise makes tinnitus sound worse but what I mean is if I wear ear plugs for an extensive amount of time, when I take them off it's as if my brain remembers that level of louder tinnitus and it continues once I take the ear plugs out. Also seen multiple ENT's, no answers. My suspected cause is acoustic trauma.

 

[Ben Winders]

A "tickle" . That's exactly what it feels like.

Very strange how the tickle in the ear then is followed by a "tickle" on my lower lip almost every single time.

I mean I know everything's connected but I haven't read anyone reporting anything similar.

Btw, the tickle in the ear is not started by noise exposure or anything, it just comes randomly during the day.

 

[frpp]

It sounds like TTTS. I've had it for years. The muscle in your ear is spasming sometimes just in general or as a reaction to noise and it is pissing off the nerves in your face.